Prospective Graduate Students: Graduate Research Areas

The MAE Department at the University of Florida is proud to offer graduate research programs that encompass a wide range of research interests and employ the latest experimental and high-performance computational techniques. Our research interests in Mechanical Engineering are broad in scope, encompassing design and analysis of vehicles, robotics, machinery, thermal and fluid engineering, energy and power systems. Our interests in Aerospace Engineering deal with all aspects of flight such as aerodynamics, propulsion, structural mechanics, and dynamics and control, as well as significant opportunities in orbital mechanics and space systems. On a broad level, we do research in the following verticals: Aerospace, Mechanical Design, Dynamics and Control, Energy and Thermal Science, Biomechanics, Fluid Dynamics, Micro- and Nano-Mechanics, Manufacturing, Autonomous Systems, Optimization and Design, Computational Sciences, Tribology, Microsystems and Solid Mechanics.

While these research areas subdivide MAE’s graduate research program, they are considered organizational and collaboration between these divisions is highly encouraged. Please visit the department spotlight to gain insight into some of the research that is occurring throughout the department, and visit our Research page for in depth discussion of research in MAE. More details are presented here:

Dynamics, Systems and Control (DSC)

The Dynamics, Systems and Control Group is a collaboration of faculty and students studying all aspects of dynamic systems, with DSC encompassing faculty members working in robots and autonomous systems, biodynamics, nonlinear control theory and applications, energy systems, aerospace and astronautics, including small satellites, vehicle dynamics and structural optimization. Cutting edge research is being conducted in many areas including modeling and computational simulation, theoretical development and experimental testing.

Solid Mechanics, Design and Manufacturing (SMDM)

The SMDM group is a collaboration of faculty and students studying all aspects of design, solid mechanics and manufacturing, with SMDM encompassing faculty members working in bone- and biomechanics, nanomechanics, tribology, advanced composites, orthopaedic design, rapid prototyping, advanced manufacturing, biomimetics, high-stress and high-strain materials modeling, computational mechanics, cellular mechanics, FEA analysis, design optimization and structural analysis. State-of-the-art research is being conducted in theoretical development and modeling, computational simulation and experimental testing.

Thermal Sciences and Fluid Dynamics (TSFD)

The Thermal Sciences and Fluid Dynamics research group is comprised of faculty with a broad range of research interests related to the fundamentals of thermo-fluid dynamics as well as applications to mechanical and aerospace engineering, materials, thermal processing, biomedical, and other mechanics disciplines. Research areas include heat transfer, combustion and propulsion, computational multiphysics, acoustics, renewable and solar energy, laser-material interactions and diagnostics, experimental fluid mechanics, CFD, air conditioning and refrigeration, microaerial vehicles, fuel cells and advanced power cycles.